Aston Villa could be set to make a huge profit on a player they only signed in January 2023 as a new club join the race for his signature.
Unai Emery has a big job on his hands this summer to get Aston Villa ready for a crack at the Champions League.
That task was made all the more difficult by the fact Villa needed to make sales to comply with Premier League spending rules ahead of the 30th June PSR deadline.
Villa are expected to have successfully avoided a PSR breach due to the sales of Tim Iroegbunam, Omari Kellyman and Douglas Luiz.
However, that may not be the end of the summer exits, with Jhon Duran angling for a Villa Park exit.
West Ham United bid for Jhon Duran revealed
Villa signed Duran from Columbus Crew last January for a reported fee of £18 million.
The 20-year-old Colombian looks a real talent but has had to play second fiddle to Ollie Watkins.
This is understandable given Watkins scored 27 goals and provided 13 assists in all competitions last season, whilst Duran is a very raw, unrefined striker at this early stage of his career.
For this reason, it was a surprise when Chelsea registered their interest in signing Duran in January and the forward has done little to dampen speculation with his behaviour in the interim between January and the summer transfer window.
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Now, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that another club have lodged more than one bid for Duran, with West Ham United also keen on the striker.
Romano posted on ‘X’: ‘West Ham have already submitted more than one bid for Jhon Duran to Aston Villa.
Understand last proposal currently worth around £35 million plus 10% sell-on clause. Negotiations underway, personal terms already agreed with Duran’.
Aston Villa selling Duran a ‘no brainer’
Having scored just eight goals in 49 games since signing for Villa, Duran has not set the Premier League alight in the past 18 months.
His two goals in the 3-3 comeback against Liverpool in the final home game of last season showed his huge potential, but Villa are yet to see that on a regular basis.
Duran’s behaviour in the past six months has left a lot to be desired too, with fans growing tired of his very public desire to sign for Chelsea.
Now, journalist Luis Miguel Echegaray has claimed Villa should be snatching West Ham’s hand off for a deal that would represent a 94% profit on the deal that saw Duran arrive from the MLS.
Echegaray posted on ‘X’: ‘Aston Villa fans know I’ve supported Duran because in the end, there’s a great talent there but lost and misguided.
‘Ultimately, it was never what Unai Emery wanted, especially in this crucial season. At £35 million with a 10% sell-on clause, this is a no brainer as Duran was bought for £18m. Take it’.
Given how the last few months have played out, there will be very few Villa fans that disagree with this suggestion.
